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Two Navy bands to perform free concerts in Knoxville

USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee
Published 6:00 a.m. ET Oct. 31, 2017

The U.S. Navy Band Commodores jazz ensemble's free performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Farragut High School Auditorium, 11237 Kingston Pike, according to a press release.(Photo: Submitted)

The U.S. Fleet Forces Band wind ensemble, which will perform at the East Tennessee Military Affairs Council Veterans Luncheon and is participating in the Knoxville Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 10, will also put on a free concert for the public at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at Austin East Magnet High School, located at 2800 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. in Knoxville.

Jazz is America’s music and the Commodores, the Navy’s premier jazz ensemble, have been performing the very best of big band jazz for the Navy and the nation for almost 50 years, the press release said. They have appeared on TV shows, played nearly all major jazz festivals and toured across the United States and abroad. This vibrant, dynamic group is constantly striving for musical excellence and the pursuit of new and exciting ways to communicate with their audiences.

One of the U.S. Navy Band’s primary responsibilities involves touring the country. All of the band’s primary performing ensembles embark each year on concert tours throughout specified regions of the country, allowing the band to reach audiences in areas of the country that do not have opportunities to see the Navy's premier musical ensembles on a regular basis. The concerts are family-friendly events, entertaining to veterans, families, individuals and those interested in joining the Navy, the release said.